Donnel

Donnel
Game Data
Game	Fire Emblem: Awakening
First Seen	Paralogue 1: Sickle to Sword
Starting Class	Villager
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“Fight and get stronger, he says... Guess it can't hurt to try. I sure hope I don't get in the way! Gosh, that would be just awful...”
—-Donnel

Donnel (ドニ Doni, Denis in the Japanese version), given the full name Donnel Tinhead in the localization, is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Awakening.

He is voiced by Mitsuhiro Ichiki in the Japanese version and is voiced by Sam Riegel in the English version.

Profile

Donnel is a villager from Ylisse, and is a common young man who likes plowing fields. Since he had never gone outside his village, he is interested in many things. Donnel appears as a kid in makeshift armor wielding a Lance on foot. He lives with his mother before leaving to join Chrom's army. His father was killed by Roddick trying to protect his wife and Donnel. Upon meeting Chrom he introduces himself as Donny before quickly correcting himself with his real name. Nevertheless, some members of Chrom's army refer to him as Donny, such as Lissa and Chrom themselves. Donnel is a bit younger than Lissa. Donnel wears a pot over his head in order to hide his messy hair.

One day, Donnel's village is attacked by bandits, but he is able to escape. Donnel encounters Chrom and asks him to save the kidnapped villagers. He leads them to the bandit's hideout and Chrom asks him to fight with them. Though he tells Chrom he's just a regular villager, after some encouraging words from Chrom, he musters enough courage to fight with them. After defeating the bandits and Donnel gets a bit stronger, he joins Chrom's army. Alternatively, if Donnel does not get stronger after defeating the bandits, he will remain in his village and cannot be recruited.

In the epilogue, Donnel returns back home to his village and lives a quiet life with his mother and his wife if he has one. He never returned to battle after this.

In his support with Nowi, it is revealed Donnel's father was an avid rock collector until he was killed. Donnel has carried his father's favorite stone ever since. In his support with Lissa, Donnel reveals that his dream is to travel the world looking for the secrets to his father's stone. In his supports with Maribelle and Miriel, Donnel reveals that he has a keen knack for memorization and learning. In his supports with Panne and both Avatars, it is shown that he is a good trapper and catches a lot of food for Chrom's army this way. His supports with Kellam show he grows food for the army as well.

Personality

Donnel is a typical village boy "from the sticks" and is unaccustomed to life outside of his village. Though he was hesitant to ever enter battle, Donnel musters enough courage to stand up for himself and eventually join Chrom's army. His speech is vastly different compared to the rest of the class, speaking with a southern-farmer accent saying phrases such as "git 'r done!". Donnel is well versed in survival and practical skills including animal trapping, fishing, and cooking. Many people in the army note of his incredible aptitude in learning due to his eagerness to improve himself and find his true potential. His birthday falls on June 4th.

In Game

Base Stats

Starting Class	Level	HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Lck	Def	Res	Move
Villager	1	16	4	0	2	3	11	3	0	5
Skill			Weapon				Starting Items
Aptitude			Lance - E				Bronze Lance Vulnerary

Growth Rates

With Aptitude

HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Luk	Def	Res
105%	75%	35%	65%	70%	100%	65%	40%

Without Aptitude

HP	Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Luk	Def	Res
85%	55%	15%	45%	50%	80%	45%	20%

Max Stat Modifers

Str	Mag	Skl	Spd	Luk	Def	Res
+1	-1	-1	-1	+3	+1	-1

Support

See also: Donnel/Supports

Romantic Supports

• The Avatar (Female)
• Lissa
• Sully
• Maribelle
• Miriel
• Cordelia
• Panne
• Nowi
• Tharja
• Olivia
• Cherche

Other Supports

• The Avatar (Male)
• Stahl
• Kellam
• Donnel's children

Class Sets

Base Classes	Promoted Classes
Villager	-
	-
Mercenary	Hero
	Bow Knight
Fighter	Warrior
	Hero
Dread Fighter (Dread Scroll required)	-
	-

Inheritance

Donnel has two Male-only classes: Villager and Fighter. If he marries someone who produces a daughter, then his daughter will inherit the following classes instead.

• Pegasus Knight - Promotes to Falcon Knight or Dark Flier
• Troubadour - Promotes to Valkyrie or War Cleric

Overall

Base Class

Donnel joins the party with very poor stats, making him more of a liability than an asset early on. This is especially true on Lunatic mode, where nothing short of strategic gymnastics and a complete commitment on the part of the player will allow him to level up. However, his Aptitude skill bolsters his already decent stats growths, Donnel will average around 5 to 6 stat increases per level up with a guaranteed HP and Luck increase every level. This makes him a very strong choice as the game progresses, as he will reach a point, typically soon after reclassing, where his advantage over the enemy will begin to snowball.

Underdog will also help Donnel once he ditches the Villager class since he will start off in another first-tier class and will be underleveled. Donnel has no choice but to give up his Lance rank forever if he wants to move to a non-trainee class, which is highly recommended to be done as soon as possible due to the incredibly low stat caps of the Villager. Put in the time to train him to Level 15 before reclassing and Donnel will be in good shape for his future reclassing.

Thankfully, regardless of difficulty, it should be possible to level Donnel up to the point of promotion during Paralogue 2 by arming him with 5 Javelins and utilizing an AI exploit. If the player deploys a four man team with two pegasus knights, he or she can fly Donnel over to the four-tile-large island and fly another unit to one of the multiple safe-spots over the water in the northwestern corner of the map.The player can then move the other unit in and out of the safe-spot to manipulate enemy movements, allowing Donnel to take out the enemy army one by one, without any chance of suffering retaliation. While this strategy works with any unit capable of attacking at a range, Donnel is the unit that benefits the most from it.

Unfortunately, Donnel faces tremendous competition from Robin as a potential long-term investment unit. Aptitude is a wonderful skill, but it is flatly outclassed by Veteran,and Robin is much easier to raise. This speaks more to Robin's greatness than it does any weakness on Donnel's part, however.

Reclassing

Donnel's reclassing options are Mercenary or Fighter, both of which are a step above his Villager days.

After grabbing Underdog, it is highly recommended to go straight to Mercenary, since his immediate acquisition of Armsthrift combined with his high Luck makes him extremely good at extending the lifespan of rarer weapons. The class also balances out Donnel's stats with good speed, skill, and strength and good defense. His Hero promotion from this class yields Sol, good for him to heal himself during battle, and with his high skill, this should activate often. Hero is also Donnel's most well-balanced class in terms of stats, and is recommended as Donnel's finisher class. Bow Knight gives Donnel mainly Bowbreaker, a useful skill to compliment Counter from the Warrior class, which is not affected by ranged weapons such as bows.

Fighter boosts Donnel as much as possible while slightly dropping his defenses. This class emphasizes Axes letting him have Hand Axes for range until he promotes into either Hero or Warrior. Zeal and Max HP +5 are good skills for Donnel to use even outside of this class. Warrior adds higher Strength caps, Bows, and Counter to his reportoire, the lattermost of which is especially useful in conjunction with Sol from the Hero class. Unfortunately, due to the overlap of Mercenary and Fighter both upgrading into Hero, Donnel has access to only three upgraded classes total, giving him a rather limited skill pool.

Overall, Donnel has to reclass to be a unit worth using as Villager is useless in the long run, apart from the skills that allow him to grow so quickly. Despite his somewhat shallow range of abilities, Donnel can still be a very capable unit with skill combos like Sol + Counter, with Bowbreaker alleviating the combo's range weakness somewhat, and Armsthrift lets him wield very strong or expensive weapons for a great deal longer than usual. Ultimately Donnel's biggest strength is his fast growth, allowing him to cap out faster than nearly all other units and making him a very strong midgame-to-lategame unit with a little early-game investment. 

Inheritance

Donnel can be a great father since his Aptitude skill is great to pass down to aid in stat building though it becomes a useless ability once they are capped. Underdog is also worth passing down, since children characters are recruited in a lower tier and at a lower level than other units. Both of these skills are especially good to pass down to his daughters since they are unable to become Villagers themselves. If not, Counter works well as another pass down to his daughters. Donnel's daughters also gain the ability to turn into Pegasus Knights so Donnel is an excellent father for Noire, Nah, and Kjelle to let them be able to learn Galeforce.

Quotes

Event Tiles

• "What in tarnation? I ain't seen nothin' like this back on the farm." (item)
• "I been takin' me some combat lessons! I gots a lot to learn, but I'm gettin' better." (exp)
• "Whew! Bit'a extra practice is tougher'n plowin' the fields any which day!" (weapon exp)

Relationship Event Tiles

Asking - Normal

• "Ya sure fight hard out there! I reckon yer fightin' for some big dreams, huh?" (dreams)
• "Well now, don't you look pleased as a pig! Did ya do well in the last battle?" (happy)
• "Say, what do ya do after the battle's over and ya got time to yerself?" (free time)
• "Hey, would ya mind fightin' with me durin' the next battle? I can tell yer a pro." (team up)

Replying - Normal

• "Aw, I just dream of makin' a difference so I can go home with my chest puffed out!" (dreams)
• "Naw, I'm just tickled to be among such a brave group'a folks like y'all!" (happy)
• "I write home a lot. My ma must be worried sick by now." (free time)
• "Me? Are ya sure? Well, sure! I’ll do the best dang job I can." (team up)

Asking - Married

• "Ya sure are pretty, (Name). Not a day goes by I don't think it." (Compliment)
• "Whatcha got there, (Name)? I don't remember ya havin' that 'fore." (Gift)
• "When yer around, (Name), I feel like I'm a mile off the ground. It's true love!" (Love)
• "I won't let anybody hurt ya, (Name). Promise to stay close!" (Promise)

Replying- Married

• "Oh, this? Just a trinket I picked up in town. Reckoned it might look fine on ya..." (Gift)
• "Ya really mean it?! Yee-haw! Ain't no one ever said that to me 'fore!" (Compliment)
• "Don't worry! I ain't smart and I ain't strong, but I can take a lickin'!" (Promise)
• "Well, I love ya even more, and I'll protect ya with every bone in my body!" (Love)

Asking - Child

• "What kinda stuff did ya do in the future, Name?" (story)
• "How ya holdin' up there, Name? Ya look a mite green in the gills." (concern)
• "(Name), you'n me should practice together. I gotta see what yer made of!" (Train)
• "Need anything, (Name)? Yer pa wants to take good care of ya!" (Gift)

Replying - Child

• "Gosh, sure! But go easy on me now. I ain't the toughest bull in the pen." (train)
• "Well, up until recently, I was just an ordinary villager. Ain't got a whole lot to brag about 'cept you. Know some funny stories, though! Say, why don't I read ya some letters from my village? They're a hoot!" (story)
• "Well, thank ya kindly! But there ain't no call to go spendin' a lot of gold." (Gift)
• "Don't ya go rufflin' yer feathers over me. Reckon I'll be just fine." (Concern)

Level Up

• "Heh, no more holdin' the others back now!" (6+ stats up)
• "This little piggie's learnt some new tricks!" (4-5 stats up)
• "I still got a long ways left to go." (2-3 stats up)
• "Aw, shucks, I'm real sorry. I'll try harder!" (0-1 stats up)
• "I'm as happy as a pig in slop to've got this far!" (0-1 stats up, most stats capped)

Class Change

• "Feels funny... Like I'm a whole different fella!"

Armory

• "Reckon I could cobble somthin' together instead!" (buying)
• "Ya think my stuff is worth anythin'? 'Cause I doubt it." (selling)
• "Ya think they can upgrade my ol' tin hat?" (forging)

Barracks

Alone

• "I sure hope all them back home is doin' all right." (misc)
• "Dang if I ain't outdoin' m'self today! Might be I can even keep up with the others." (surge)

Greetings - Normal

• "Mornin' Avatar. Here to take a load off?" (morning)
• "Hey, Avatar. Here to take a load off?" (midday)
• "Evenin', Avatar. Here to take a load off?" (Evening)
• "Ready to hit the hay, Avatar? Me too." (night)
• "Happy birthday, Avatar." (birthday)

Greetings - Married

• "Hello, Avatar. Did ya catch some Zs?" (morning)
• "Hello, Avatar. What's on the docket?" (midday)
• "Hello, Avatar. It's dark as a possum's lair, ain't it?" (evening)
• "Hello, Avatar. Time to hit the hay!" (night)
• "Happy birthday, Avatar." (birthday)

Roster

A villager from a remote corner of Ylisse who came to the fight with little more than farming experience. However, he is eager to learn and shows a great deal of promise. The one with the curliest hair. Born on June 4th.

Help Description

An Ylissean commoner with a "funny way of talkin'."

Confession

“I love ya. I don't reckon I could live without'cha! Let's you an' me settle down on the farm!”
—Donnel's confession quote.

Final Chapter

“I need ya to come on back, y’hear?!”
—Donnel's final chapter quote.

“Look, Ma! Look, Pa! I done done it!”
—Donnel's quote after Grima was defeated by Chrom

“Wanna visit my village, Avatar? I'm gonna need to introduce the love of my life to Ma, after all!”
—Donnel reassuring the Avatar for their choice if he is her husband.

“Thanks to you and the others. I was able to change... And I've got more chargin' to do! I wants ya to see it.”
—Donnel's quote after the Avatar's sacrifice of killing Grima

DLC Pre-Battle

The Golden Gaffe Pre-Battle

“I dunno what a "nest egg" is, exactly. Never had them on the farm. But I DO know what a thief is, and thieves deserve to be punished!”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

EXPonential Growth Pre-Battle

“Ya done picked the wrong day to mess with farmers! Our crops are like our babies! We even give 'em names! Ya hear that? Vegetables have souls, ya darn baby killers! ...Argh! CHARGE!”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Infinite Regalia Pre-Battle

“If these fellers are any indication, the Outrealms are one scary place! But I can't let fear whip me. Not if I'm gonna get any stronger. I may not go down a winner, but I reckon I'll go down fighting!”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Death's Embrace Pre-Battle

“Gosh, if these spikes ain't scary... They're like upside-down iron carrots! I sure hope the Outrealms don't get much worse'n this... Otherwise, we ... *gulp* ...we might be stayin' longer than expected...”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Five-Anna Firefight Pre-Battle

“Gosh, look at this place. One false move, and it's Donny soup! Whoever rustled up all this lava can kiss my rustic grits! I'd better step lively, else I won't live to rescue any of them nice merchant ladies...”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Roster Rescue Pre-Battle

“I'm just an ordinary farmhand, so I reckon I ain't got much in the way of dirty laundry. Least I don't think I do, anyway. ...Do I? Aww, bull plop. I'd better get that darned book back and find out what's in there...”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Summer Scramble Pre-Battle

“This big ol' stretch of sand kind reminds me of the fields back. I sure hope Ma and the others are holdin' their own... Maybe when this is all over, I'll take 'em out here for a li'l vacation!”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Hot-Spring Scramble Pre-Battle

“Is this really just one big bathtub? I reckon it's bigger'n a lake! Heck, my whole village could fit in here at the same darn time! I'll have to take 'em out here for a spell once we're finished savin' the world.”
—Donnel's pre-battle quote.

Battle Quotes

Dual Support

• "I'll help ya!"
• "Go get'em!"
• "I gotch' yer' back!"
• "I'm here!"
• "Let's get-r done!"
• "Alright!"
• "Here we go!"
• "We gotta win this."
• "You ain't alone."
• "You can do this."

Dual Strike

• "Over here, ugly!"
• "Where're you lookin'?"
• "I'm with ya!"
• "I can fight too!"
• "Look at me!"

Dual Guard

• "I gotcha!"
• "That was close!"

Critical

• "Yeeeeeehaw!"
• "Git ready!"
• "How 'bout this!"
• "C'mon, Donny!"

Defeated Enemy

• "Whowee!"
• "I've done it!"
• "Yeah!"
• "Phew!"
• "It's over..."

Partner Defeated Enemy

• "Amazing!"
• "Ya saved my hide."
• "I owe ya."

Defeated By Enemy

• "Sorry, Ma..."

Death/Retreat

“Donnel: I don't think I can...go any farther... Your Majestiness...
Chrom: You've done enough, Donny! Fall back! We'll take things from here.
Donnel: S-sorry... ”
—Donnel's defeat quote in Paralogue 1

“Unnngh...I-I did m'best... Made the village proud...”
—Donnel's death quote after recruitment (classic mode)

“YEOWCH! I ain't never been hit so hard! Better get outta here and heal up.”
—Donnel's retreat quote after recruitment (casual mode)

Possible Endings

Donnel - Village Hero

Donnel returned to his tiny village and lived a quiet life with his mother. He never took up arms again—a blessing for which he thanked the exalt daily.

Donnel and the Avatar

Many wrote of Avatar's legendary exploits, but accounts of her origins and character varied. Scholars, poets, and bards agreed on one thing alone--she loved her husband, Donnel, above all else.

Donnel and Lissa

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and Lissa. Still, the latter insisted on breaking the monotony, and the couple often traveled to far-flung markets.

Donnel and Sully

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Sully. The latter established a militia much like the Shepherds to arm the villagers against the threat of brigands.

Donnel and Miriel

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Miriel. The latter directed her studies on the local flora; Donny was shocked that trees could have ten-syllable names.

Donnel and Maribelle

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and Maribelle. Still, he was careful not to pester his new bride about working in the fields, lest she lift a scythe for other reasons.

Donnel and Panne

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Panne. This new "warren" had more than enough nature to please any taguel, and her heart found a home at last.

Donnel and Cordelia

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Cordelia. The latter, however, continued to train hard as a knight and often answered the exalt's call.

Donnel and Nowi

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Nowi. She loved her new home and scampered through the fields and mountains with the fervor of a village cat.

Donnel and Tharja

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Tharja. The latter never warmed to the villagers, but she was said to smile around her family.

Donnel and Olivia

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Olivia. Their forgotten hamlet glowed during festivals, when Olivia's dancing warmed more than any fire.

Donnel and Cherche

Donnel returned to his tiny village and built a happy life with his mother and his wife, Cherche. The latter's easy laugh and many skills quickly earned the love and respect of her new family.

Etymology

Donnel is an Irish name meaning "brave" or "dark-haired one". The latter probably refers to his dark purple hair color, and the former possibly refers to his Villager class.

Trivia

• Donnel shares his English voice actor, Sam Riegel, with Stahl.
  • Donnel shares his Japanese voice actor, Ichiki Mitsuhiro, with Hinata and Hisame.
• Donnel's portrait always shows him wielding a Lance, even though none of his other classes besides Villager uses it.
• Donnel will sometimes say "let's get-r-done!" when Dual Supporting. This is probably a reference to the famous catch phrase used by Nebraskan comedian Larry the Cable Guy.
• Donnel has the smallest class set out of the entire cast of Awakening having only 6 different classes (7 including Dread Fighter).
• In Donnel's localized A-rank Support conversation with Cherche, he mentions that his last name is Tinhead. This is a reference to his Villager class, where he and all the others like him wear giant pots on their heads.
  • Donnel is one of the few Fire Emblem characters with known last names, the others being Jill, Elincia, Sanaki, Sigurd, Seliph, Leif, Alm and, anime-exclusively, Marth.
  • Donnel is the only character with a last name in the English but not in the original Japanese version.
• A set of map sprites featuring Donnel as a Swordmaster exists within the game data, although they are unused in the main game itself.

Gallery

Donnel.jpg

Concept art of Donnel.

Donnel confessing his feelings to the Avatar.

Donnelconfession.jpg

Donnel's full confession.

Donnel's portrait in Awakening.

Donnel's battle model as a Villager in Awakening.

Donnel's battle model as a Fighter in Awakening.

Donnel's battle model as a Mercenary in Awakening.

Donnel's battle model as a Warrior in Awakening.

Donnel's battle model as a Hero in Awakening.

Donnel's battle model as a Bow Knight in Awakening.